Felger & Mazz: Did Francona Leave or Was He Pushed Out?

Felger & Massarotti opened the day discussing the events and press conferences that went down on Friday. On Friday, Francona had a press conference announced he will not return as Red Sox manager next season. An hour later, the Red Sox ownership group spoke to the media about moving on from Francona.

Did the ownership group try to sell this as a resignation by Francona as opposed to coming out and saying he’s been fired? Should we be surprised by the ownership groups remarks?

Did Francona deserve to lose his job? Is ownership doing the right thing? Is the ownership too worried about upsetting fans? How would an organization, like the Patriots, handle a coaching change in the media?

Francona entered the season without his contract option being picked up. Did ownership know from the beginning that Francona was unlikely to be brought back for the 2012 season?